Rating: 
Summary: Clan of the Cave Bear--detailed and fascinating
Review: Admittedly, The Clan of the Cave Bear has parts that feel a bit like a V.C. Andrews novel set during the Ice Age, but I still enjoyed it immensely and am now fascinated with the joys, hardships, knowledge, limitations, and legacy of the Neanderthals and their differing counterparts, the Cro-Magnons. Jean Auel writes in an extremely detailed and interesting style; her in-depth understanding of Ice Age flora and fauna is undeniable, and many of her characters are unforgettable (Ayla, the lucky and resourceful Cro-Magnon heroine adopted by the Neanderthal Clan after a terrifying earthquake leaves her orphaned and wandering the gorgeous but dangerous landscape; Iza, the loving surrogate mother to Ayla and the Clan's talented medicine woman; Creb, a father figure to Ayla as well the respected aging magician--or "mog-ur"--of the Clan).The Clan of the Cave Bear is packed with information regarding the rituals, customs, and home of the Neanderthals. While I am sure Auel has taken literary license in the Clan's acceptance of Ayla (an "Other") and the thoughts and motivations of the members, one can't help but become enthralled with the aspects of prehistoric life and daily survival, especially when Ayla is forced to fend for herself. I suggest The Clan of the Cave Bear for anyone remotely interested in the end of the Neanderthals' era--or, really, for anyone who enjoys vivid storytelling.
Rating:
Summary: More than I expected.
Review: I feel like I am the only one who has NOT read this story; I put it off for years thinking it was going to be a throw back of 1,000,000,000 Years BC, or something; after all, how intersting could Cave people be?!? Wow was I wrong! This story has it all! Myths and legends that I hope I can remember so I can tell them to my daughter as a story someday. Spiritual beliefs that are beautiful and daunting at the same time. A sense of community that is like no other that I have seen. A look into our past and the "start" of humans and humanity, and characters like no other! The Mog-ur, the highest magician in all the Clans, he speaks to the spirits, he is the one that holds all the rituals and ceremonies for the Clan, and he is the one that I would want on my side. He takes to a little girl, Ayla, who is found on the way to a new cave by the most powerful medicine woman in all the clans, Iza. Ayla is different, she is one of the Others. She brings to the Clan luck (?), because of her strong totem, and causes more controversy than this Clan has seem in 35,000 years! Ayla's story of trying to fit in, trying to overcome her "ugliness" and her differnces, trying to be accepted into the only family that she can remember, despite the fact that she has so many "different" ideas than a good Clan woman, is truly wonderful. Each one of her struggles pulled at my heart, and the writing is so good, I found myself reading long into the night, wanting to find out what happened next. This woman loved the whole story! :)
Enjoy,
Debbi
Rating:
Summary: One of the best books I've ever read
Review: I've been rereading this book for the past 20 years. It is one of my favorites...as are all of the books in the Earth's Children series.
Rating:
Summary: An awesome book
Review: This book is part of a very moving series about what ancient history could have been like for the cro-mags as they moved in on the neanderthals (cavemen). This book is very touching and is filled with descriptions that show evidence of her extensive research about what prehistoric Europe might have been like. It's also a good escapist story for bored people or college students like me to read in our spare time. Actually I'd recommend this to anybody whos willing to take the time to read it.
Rating:
Summary: The Clan Of the Cave Bear
Review: Customers certainly do not need my oppinion, but I need to give it. The Clan of the Cave Bear was one of the first books I have ever read of its kind. I was obsessed with surviving and occupied my childhood with studying plants and animals, disgusted by people who depended so dearly on civilization. Greatfull for my safe home, I still ventured out every day hunting around my backyard for wilderness adventures, and swear I pretended to live the 'survivor series' so popular today back when those who produce it now were in their own back yards dreaming the same thing. I am convinced Ms. Auel has somehow BEEN to the time of the Clan....
Rating:
Summary: Definately a Must-Read
Review: I picked up this book because it seemed like the best of a lot of bad choices, but once I read a little bit, I was lost. There are plenty of reasons to list on why this book is an excellent read, but don't take our word for it. Pick it up for yourself. This book was enlightening, encouraging, heartwrenching and always interesting. You just had to know what happened next. I've been impatiently waiting for the fifth book in the series, and I've pre-ordered well in advance. I wish I could thank Ms. Auel for providing such a wonderful heroine, who's world is too easy to get lost in.
Rating:
Summary: a classic
Review: What an incredible journey into prehistoric times! This book is so vivid, so moving, and has exquisite detail about Ayla's world- both her personal feelings and experiences and the civilization she finds herself in. Do not miss this book.
Rating:
Summary: A moving book about the endurance of humanity
Review: I first read this book when I was in 7th grade, and am rereading it now, in 11th grade. This is an amazing story that my dad convinced me to read, and I've become hooked on the whole series! Auel gives the reader not only meticulously researced information concerning culture, vivid descriptions of the neanderthals, and geography, but also a twisting, inviting plot that makes the book impossible to put down! Thus Clan of the Cave Bear(and the entire Earth's ChildrenTM series) appeals to a wide audience. Adventure, history, and an eloquent storytelling style are combined with excellent results.
Rating: 
Summary: You won't be able to put this one down
Review: In our society time is money...zero to 60 in as few seconds as possible! Well, get in my 80 horse power Nissan and you'll probably wonder why it isn't moving. Before you realize it though, you're doing 65 with the rest of the crowd. That's what this novel will do to you. It starts you off in a Nissan that quicly transforms into a BMW roadster. And the next thing you know you've lost a night's sleep because you can't put it down! Set in prehistoric times when the era of the Neanderthals was slowly giving way to the Cro-Magnons, "Clan..." follows the life of Ayla, a blonde Cro-Magnon girl adopted by a clan of Neanderthals, as she grows into young womanhood. (Keep in mind that in Cro-Magnon days females became young women in their early teens.) The adventures of Ayla begin at age 5 and continue into her mid-teens. Along the way Ms Auel creates Ayla into something of a wonder woman. For example---clan women are forbidden to hunt or use weapons of any kind. So naturally Ayla finds a sling and teaches herself how to use it in secret. When her secret is found out Ayla, 14 years old and more than 8 months pregnant, is banished for one month in the dead of winter. As far as the Clan is concerned this is tantamount to a death sentence, since in all of the Clan's memories no female in her condition had ever survived such a banishment. But Ayla retreats to a small cave she had discovered months earlier, stocks the cave with wood and bedding materials, hunts for food with her sling, and gives birth to a son. All of this on her own, mind you, in blinding snow storms and only 14 years old. But hey!...it is a work of fiction, right?. And let's face it, females of that era surely had to be just as rugged and resourceful as the males in order to survive. So maybe it isn't so unbelievable after all. One thing is sure, you will be rooting for Ayla from beginning to end. Regardless of how far fetched you may find Ayla's adventures, Jean Auel's fertile imagination (and her obvious research) has created a novel that is truely entertaining and well worth reading.
Rating:
Summary: Picking a new book to read is guesswork...
Review: Picking this book is not. An employee of a chain book store recommended it to me. After reading the synopsis on the back cover, I had to ask if he was kidding. Needless to say I bought the book and after struggling through the first few pages, I found it nearly impossible to put down. Whether you're a frat boy or an elderly woman, get this book and you will find yourself quickly stocking up on the rest of the books in the series and pushing the ones you've already read on friends and family.
|
